My Favourite 7 Tricks To Beat Procrastination & Kickstart My Writing
I’ve been creating content for 25+ years.
I’ve written 100+ articles this year. 80,000 words whilst holding down a full-time job. This suggests I no longer struggle with procrastination. I have seasons when I reign victorious. Churning out articles like a writing machine.
But not always.
Some days it’s tough to get going. But over the years I’ve developed a suite of tools that kickstart my engine whenever I need it.
Procrastination will always be a regular visitor. So if you want to win online you need a few tricks up your sleeve for when she turns up.
This is what works for me.
1. Get crystal clear on what you need to do
We procrastinate when we lack clarity.
When you think I’ll do some writing or work on project X. Your brain hesitates. It doesn’t know exactly what to do. Decision-making depletes your energy. And your brain will do anything to conserve energy. It’s a primal instinct.
Being clear removes this obstacle.
- Make your to-do list specific
Not project X but email Y to ask for a report
Not write an article but draft an outline
To get a flying start in the morning. Make your tasks specific the night before.
- Craft processes to make tasks clearer
Not edit the article but run through my editing checklist
Not think of some ideas but identify 15 problems my reader faces
2. Start so small you can’t fail to start
When are you most likely to fail with a task?
Let’s say I aim to exercise 30 minutes every day. There are 4 possible failure points:
- Before I start — I don’t go to the gym
- Soon after starting — I stop after the 1st 5 minutes
- In the middle — after 15 minutes
- Stopping early — with 5 minutes to go
But which is the most likely failure point?
90% of failures happen at point 1 - before I start.
The main challenge with procrastination is getting started. So leverage all your efforts to avoid this failure point. Find a way to start and you’ll be successful.
The easiest way to do this is to make it super small.
- 1 rep
- 1 minute
- 1 sentence
You’ve got 1000 words to write today — the chance of failure is high.
You’ve got 5 words to write today — the odds of success rise to 99%.
But guess what happens when you’ve written 5 words? You write the other 995 because you’ve got momentum.
Start small and your progress will be big.
3. Change your expectations
Your expectations of a successful day causes problems
We expect to finish our tasks. Clear out emails. Complete a project. Finish a report. You won’t even be aware you expect this. But test yourself now. Imagine starting your to-do list. Notice what expectation rises. You expect to finish it. That’s why it feels like failure if you don’t
And this causes resistance because finishing involves a lot of work.
But you can dissolve this resistance with a sneaky trick. Instead of thinking you have to finish your tasks say you have to start them.
- I need to start phoning people
- I have to start answering emails
- I have to start organising that event
- I need to start writing that document
Feels different doesn’t it?
It feels easy. Success is almost guaranteed. And when that is the case. We are drawn towards the task. Easy success gives us a dopamine hit.
And we know once you’ve started — you’ll keep going.
4. Write something terrible
Procrastination is perfectionism in disguise
You put stuff off because you fear it won’t be good enough. Bizarrely we think don’t do the tasks and our fears of being imperfect won’t be realised. But a quick ninja move can help here.
Aim to write something terrible.
Accept it is going to be an awful piece of work. That is all you are asking of yourself. Decide this & you’ll relax. The tension will ease away. Confidence will rise.
This works because you can easily achieve this goal. You can write something awful (but don’t worry you won’t).
It’s an effective trick that releases the pressure and kickstarts your writing.
5. Realise your privilege
Your language affects your energy.
We say such oppressive things to ourselves:
- I have to manage this project
- I have to finish this report
- I have to write this article
You have to? No wonder you struggle to get started. You think you are living under some sort of tyranny. And it drains your energy.
But didn’t you get into this because of the wonderful possibilities?
I create online and that is incredible. I do it when I want. Where I want. Total freedom. I’m helping people. Changing lives. It even earns money. In historical terms, most people never had this opportunity.
When I’m struggling with motivation I give myself a wake-up call. It’s an honour and privilege.
- I get to publish on Medium and it doesn’t cost me anything
- I get to generate ideas & write on any topic I want
- I get to write and no barriers are stopping me
Remember you don’t have to — you get to.
Tell yourself that often.
6. The Swiss Cheese Method
This is a tactic I use when I manage large projects.
It works well for large tasks with various subtasks. Creating digital products. Writing articles.
When a task seems too large & overwhelming. And I don’t have the energy to work through the process. I decide all I’m going to do today is poke a few holes in it.
I don’t aim to do the tasks in a logical order. I start anywhere. I don’t try to complete the project. Just make some progress. Anything will do.
This works because:
- I can go where the energy is
- It’s freeing because the bar is set low
- Makes the decision easy — I can start anywhere
When you don’t know what else to do — poke a few holes in it.
7. Lie to yourself
This tip will make no sense. But I promise it works.
You tell yourself you are not going to do the task you are putting off. You are going to do the action before the task.
Confused? A few examples will help:
- I’m not going to write that article. I’m just going to open up my writing software
- I’m not going to research that topic. I’m just going to sit at my desk and open the book.
- I’m not going for a run. I’m just going to put on my trainers
Try it and you’ll notice 2 things:
- You’ll do the pre-task action because it’s easy
- Then you’ll start the task because you are already there
Somehow the smart part of your brain tricks the lazy part.
Humans are odd, aren’t they?
Procrastination is normal, don’t beat yourself up for it. Instead, add these 7 tactics to your toolbox to win the war and get more stuff done.
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